


525,600 Minutes

by iridescentpenn



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-12
Updated: 2018-05-02
Packaged: 2019-04-22 02:37:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,204
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14298933
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/iridescentpenn/pseuds/iridescentpenn
Summary: This will be the first email of the year but she does not expect a reply. She has been reaching out to them for several years now. They do not answer her emails or letters and she realizes that maybe just showing up at their door would be a better way of doing this.Tragedy struck quickly and without remorse when it took her father from her. So when Coran gathered the tattered remains of their lives and spirited her away, she left. Now she's coming back to bring her parent's business back to it's glory days and to breathe new life into the alliance that died with them.





	1. Gunita

**Author's Note:**

> So this is what spawned after DAYS of Kayla and I squealing/shrieking about our literal brainchild (which will hopefully be posted soon) and I couldn't stop thinking about Pidge and Keith getting plants and blankets from Allura. It got wildly out of control and now here we are!
> 
> Beta Read by my forever partner-in-crime: Kaykaycici (aka patillojack on tumblr)
> 
> On to the actual note-----
> 
> Gunita (n.) Memory, recollection

A trip down memory lane usually means long talks late at night over warm drinks, sometimes with old glossy photos in frames and others with grainy videos on VHS tapes. Events that cause those involved moments of nostalgia are usually reunions of some kind or a milestone in someone's life that brings everyone together. What comes after this journey is neither of those things and both. For many of these people have never met in current times, while others have grown apart. A couple of them may actually be very familiar with each other.

 

**.**

  
  
  


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**[ C l i c k . . . ]**

 

**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


**.**

  
  


****  
  
The screen flickers for a moment before coming to life in a blur of mostly washed out colors and the high pitched squealing of a child that comes and goes. Slowly the camera focuses in on the scene and the colors take on identifiable shapes. A little girl with bright blue eyes and fluffy white hair grins at the camera, with all the little teeth in her mouth showing, from a young woman with long, equally white hair's lap. The child squeals with delight at all the attention she is receiving. The woman laughs and the man behind the camera does too.   
  
A too large hat is settled on her head by an equally large hand. She blinks, confused, as it slides forward and back on her head. Behind her, her mother giggles and thanks the owner of the hand with a smile. The camera man laughs boisterously, his disembodied voice is teasingly toned as he ribs the gifter good naturedly.   
  
The date, blinking innocently in the bottom left corner, is June 12, 1996.

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


**.**

  


  
  
The screen flickers off for a moment before flickering back on. Once again the colors are blurred and everything is out of focus. (It's the 90's what do you expect?) The screen focuses in on not one but three white haired children. Two little girls in pretty swimsuits and one little boy in trunks. They're all in a bright blue, plastic kiddie pool. There are multicolored fish patterned on it.   
  
The bigger of the two girls has her hair tied up in bouncy pigtails and a pretty pink and blue polka dot suit on. She grins at the camera for a moment and is seen to be missing a tooth. The other little girl has one braid down her head with the end tickling the top of her spine. Her swimsuit is purple with ruffles. She squeals with laughter when the other girl splashes water at her.   
  
The little boy, standing quietly in his red trunks, watches the girls before dramatically falling back onto his rump and splashing them both. All three dissolve into peals of giggling and calls of each other's names. (KK! Lulu! Ace!) Or at least a childish semblance of names.   
  
Somewhere out of the frame, a young man laughingly exclaims that it's 'Only the summer of 1999'.   


  
  


**.**

  
  
  


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Yet again the screen goes dark for a moment and then flickers a couple of times. There are no more videos, but there are pictures.

  
  


**.**

  
  


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**.**

 

  
  
  
There are three little boys, around the age of eight and completely identical, all standing in a row. They have on navy polo shirts and khaki shorts with white socks disappearing in dark tennis shoes. Each one has a slightly different smile on their face, but each smile is bright and sweet. The one on the right has a crooked smile and mischief in his eyes. The back of the photo would inform you that his name is Ryou. The one in the middle is smiling so wide that his eyes have crinkled shut. His name is Sven. The one of the left has a shyer smile that makes his eyes crinkle at the corners. His name is Takashi. It's their first day of school in the year 2000.   


**.**

  
The next photo is a polaroid captioned at the bottom with 'Katie and Matt's First Garden, May 2001'. The photo is slightly dark but it's not difficult to make out the scene. A little boy around age 8, Matt, looks up at the camera with wide amber eyes and dirt in his similarly colored hair. He is sitting next to a large, orange clay pot that's filled with dirt and no plant life whatsoever. However, sitting in the pot is a brightly smiling baby girl in nothing but a diaper and covered in dirt smears.   


**.**

  
The next is a series of photos. Two little boys are standing on a chair in front of a kitchen counter. They're looking at each other while they speak animatedly. You can see that they're both wearing oversized aprons over their hand me down pajamas. There is flour on their faces, in their hair, and all over the cabinets. Both have their hands on a large, patterned bowl.   
  
The next photo in the series is from a different angle. The photographer is now standing next to the boys and captures the shorter one's bright smile. He is missing several teeth and has freckles covering his nose. The taller boy smiles shyly over the other's head. They appear to be mixing a batter of some kind.   
  
The final photo in the series is of both boys sitting at a table. There is a tall stack of golden brown pancakes on a plate between them. Each of them wears a proud smile and with faces already dripping with syrup.   
  
The back of the photos say the same thing: 'Early August 2001, Hunk and Lance make pancakes'.   


**.**

  
There is one final photo and it isn't of the children shown above. It's of a white haired couple standing next to five dark haired individuals (two young men in military uniforms, one  young woman in a dress, and two other young men in dress shirts and slacks) on one side. On the other is a tall man in a suit with a grey haired woman in a dress. Next to them is a woman in overalls, a man in sweatpants and a tshirt, and another man in jeans and a tshirt. A caption underneath and on the frame reads "The Paladins and Friends". The year is as unknown as the identities of the people.   
  


  


 

* * *

  


 

 

It is December of 2017 and Allura has finally gotten things straightened out. She's hired a talkative and flirtatious young man to help her manage the bed and breakfast back in September. He's a good guy and she likes him well enough (when he _isn't_ driving her crazy). They've developed a routine that works for them.   
  
Every morning he arrives at precisely 7am with a cup of her favorite Bean's flavor and a mystery pastry from Sky. Together they walk the halls, checking rooms off the clipboard and sipping their drinks, before returning to the office. From there they talk about places around Altea that are good people in need of help and about Lance's social life. She learns a lot about him and Altea in these moments. Occasionally Coran comes to join them on their rounds and chats. His insight is invaluable.

 

**.**

  
  
  


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January ‘18

  
  


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**.**

  
  
  
  
The cursor blinks patiently on the screen. This will be the first email of the year but she does not expect a reply. She has been reaching out to them for several years now. They do not answer her emails or letters and she realizes that maybe just showing up at their door would be a better way of doing this. After all, they have not moved from the complex they lived in when they were all children. Alas, she has no time for that at the moment and types the email.   
  
_To: akXXXXXXXe@gmail.com, kaXXXXXXe@gmail.com_   
_From: aXXXXXXax@gmail.com_   
  
_Subject: I'm sorry_   
  
_Hello,_   
  
_It's me again. I'm sure after six years that you both wish that I would leave you alone or give up. I'm not going too. I will however maybe do something different. Hopefully it will be better received than scattered emails._   
  
_I do wish to discuss Voltron with you both. Maybe over coffee?_   
  
_Forever Your Friend,_   
_Allura_   
  
_PS- Coran and I found old photos and home movies of all of us as children. I thought you two may like to see them? Or have copies of your own of them?_   
  
  
**[ S e n d i n g . . . ]**   
  
She closes her eyes, says a little hopeful prayer, and sighs deeply.   
  
**[ S e n t ! ]**   
  
Now for her to needle Lance about some of these friends of his and learn about these places they work at.


	2. Fika

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance offers to take Allura around on his morning before work routine to get them coffee and pastries. She agrees. She learns a little more than expected and misses out someone she'll wish she didn't.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This unintentionally took five bahzillion years to finish and I'm sorry! Real life came in and sucker punched me in the nose. 
> 
> Many thanks and hugs and love to kaykaycici for Beta reading this. She is amazing and the only reason I am alive.

 

**[ (1) New Email! ]**

**  
** **  
** **[ Allura Libaax          I'm Sorry ... ]**

 

  
  
"Well..." a young woman with flaming red, sunshine yellow, Granny Smith green striped hair asks from her upside down position  in one of the chairs across from the desk. She grins, sunny as the yellow in her hair, at the huff she got. "... 'ren't ya gonna open it?"   
  
The navy blue haired young woman behind the desk rolls her eyes. One arm is thrown over the back of the tall back of the dark leather chair while she half leans, half sits on the arm. Her fingernails glint in the afternoon sun as she runs them through the dark hair of the young man seated in the chair. He wears a scowl and for a long moment stares the brightly hued woman down. He turns back to the computer after a moment.   
  
Both of them speak at the same time. "Nope."   
  
The other woman sighs heavily before swinging herself around sideways. Once settled, she pulls her phone out to play a game.   
  
Hours pass by in companionable silence and the three do not notice when the sky erupts in the darkening colors of the day's sunset.   
  
The email is left unread by both the navy haired woman and the scowling man.   
  
  


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Allura taps her fingers irritatedly on her desk top. The light catches on the iridescent finish on her ring finger in distractingly pretty manner. She pays no attention to it. Her eyes are glued to the computer screen in front of her. Another annoyed sigh, the fifth of its kind from just that morning, forces its way out of her.   
  
There is no reply waiting for her in her inbox.    
  
Before she can allow herself into a disappointed frustration, Lance knocks on the frame of her office. He's dressed rather sharp today and she finds herself smiling at their unintentional matching. His cobalt dress shirt makes his eyes a brighter blue, when she can catch glimpses of them. The sleeves are rolled up to just before his elbows and it shows off the bracelets he wears religiously. His thin black tie, small black framed glasses, and short wavy brown hair makes him look very hipster. The black dress shoes and black slacks just make it all professional. He coordinates with her royal blue pencil skirt, black blouse, and sleek  black stilettos ensemble. Just pretends, inwardly and outwardly, that the idea of them matching doesn't please her (when it absolutely and totally does).   
  
He grins at her, megawatt wide and stage light bright, when she looks over at him. Rather than snap at him and take out her frustrated hurt on him, she quirks a brow in question and keeps her expression pleasant. His smile dims, nervous, and he rubs the back of his neck with a hand. His eyes look everywhere but her before dropping to the floor.   
  
"So I was wondering if you wanted to come with me to get breakfast this morning?" He glances up at her as he finishes the question. "You keep saying you want to see the bakery and coffee shop, meet my friends who work there....."   
  
She smiles, takes pity on him, and mulls it over as she speaks. "But we never get around to it or have the right coinciding shifts?" She makes her decision. "An outing would do me good. Let's go."   
  
She smiles at him as she stands. He's still standing in the doorway gaping at her as she slides her favorite pale pink pea coat on. He jolts when her keys jingle and dashes away to grab his own things. She laughs softly as she pockets her phone and slides her respectably sized white faux leather purse up her shoulder.    
  
Lance is waiting for her at the door when she exits her office. The 'Be Back Soon!' sign is already sitting on the Guest Services Counter and his puffy brown jacket on. He smiles brightly at her again.   
  
"After you, my lady." He bows deeply before swinging the door open for her.   
  
Their laughter rings throughout the courtyard and as it dies down, the early morning noises of the countryside follow them out to his car.   
  
  


* * *

  
  
  
  


**Fika-**

(v.) drinking coffee along with eating something sweet

  
  
  


* * *

  
  


Lance’s car was certainly… well, it was reliable. The old minivan had obviously been around the block a few times, or rather so many times that the back hatch had been replaced with a gold colored one and the driver’s side sliding door was also replaced but with a dingy white door. The front seats each had covers and they each had their own unique covers, at that. The passenger’s cover was a rather plain black fabric while the the driver’s was a wild menagerie of colors in a pattern of symbols and shapes. The back row was covered in blankets, pillows, and she thought she saw a box mysteriously labeled ‘Things to giVE the GREMLIN’.

 

“Haa...uh….” The hand rubbing the back of his neck gesture had returned and Lance smiled at her again. “This is Lucinda. Or Lucy, for short. She’s an older lady, but still super reliable?”

 

Allura snorted in an ungraceful manner before rounding the front and looking at Lance expectantly. “Then we’ll get along swimmingly.” The startled look on his face was priceless and she relished in having shut him up for a long moment. “Now aren’t we supposed to be going somewhere?”

 

“Right! Sorry…” A flurry of movement, a beep followed by a click, and the doors were opened. He settles in the driver’s seat, taking a moment to check the mirrors, his own reflection, and then glance at her before cranking  _ Lucy  _ up. She roars to life with a sound of the engine being accompanied by the blast of the AC and the radio blaring what suspiciously sounds like Shakira. Lance jumps and fumbles with the controls for a moment. “Ah. Ok ok… Sorry. I haven’t had passengers for a while. Ready?”

 

She smiles at him. “Yes. Although you should probably buckle yourself before we leave.” He gasps, flailing around for the belt, before he’s clicking it in and soon enough, they’re rolling. “So tell me…” She begins, her voice is not soft but it is friendly. Her eyes watch as the landscape changes from trees and hills to buildings and streets. “Who are these friends of yours, that you are hoping I will be meeting today, and how did you meet them?”

 

Lance’s eyes light up, and even though he never once removes his hands from the wheel or eyes from the road, he still manages to communicate with his entire body. “Okay so first off, since we will be stopping for coffee first, I hope that you’ll be able to meet Keith. His family runs Beans, so that’s how I heard about it too. Keith, however, he and I go way back. It’s ironic, our friendship, ‘cause I totally didn’t like him when we first met at camp. It was one of those Boy Scout camp meeting things and we were both new. Instant dislike of each other because he’s scarily quiet and well, I’m me and have always been the way I am. So I was super loud and all over the place.” He’s got the biggest smile on his face and when they get stopped at a light, he turns it on her.

 

“So what changed?” She interjects her question when he pauses. The silence stretches for a moment and she can tell that he’s using the opportunity to check both directions for traffic as he readies to turn and to organize his thoughts. She ignores the tinge of how familiar that name sounds.  “What made you two stop hating each other and become friends?”

 

“Well…” He begins, his entire face shifts through emotions so quickly that she feels a bit out of breath from trying to keep up. It settles on a grimace. “Keith was- ya know what, that jerk wad still is- a feisty, little bastard who can’t stand a bully. He never cared for his own opinions of you when it came down to whether or not to help you or leave you if you were being bullied by others. Didn’t matter if it was physical or verbal either.” Lance sighs, a wistful smile chases the grimace away. “Mr. Permanent Scowl finds out that I’m getting bullied, harassed, pushed around- take your pick- by these boys in our troop that are older than us. They were good at hiding it from the adults, not so much from the other boys. Keith finds out, right? He was so tiny back then- still is, dude is not built to play basketball, if ya catch my drift- and he comes stomping down the trail to where they’re pushing me around…

 

Lance trails off, watching cars flash by them as they sit at another intersection. “He comes up and takes out two of them before even I knew what was happening. Once he caught my eye, we both screamed bloody murder and got the whole group of bullies caught by the adults. It was great. We just kinda became friends after that. Went to the same middle school and he went to the same high school I did till right before junior year. His dad transferred him to some private school, something about a hockey scholarship. Not sure. But yeah. We’ve been buds ever since.

 

“I mean, I still antagonize the ever loving hell out of him and we still bicker like cats and dogs, but…” Lance shrugs as he pulls Lucinda into one of the slanted parking spots in front of an empty building and cuts the engine. “It works for us and I know he’ll always have my back.”

 

Allura sits quietly in the passenger seat for a moment. She listens to the rumble of the cars that pass, to the birds chirping in the cherry trees that line the sidewalks, and to the murmur of people walking past. After a moment to process the verifiable information dump Lance gave her, she hums. “I’m glad you have such a wonderful friend, Lance. I hope that you will consider Coran and myself among such people one day.”

 

“Allura, you and Coran have been my friends since day one.” He grins at her again. Then throws the door open and leans out. “Now let's go see if Grumpy Cat is working. I promise you that…” He holds up a hand and begins to tick off fingers. “One, his face is not stuck in a scowl and he is capable of feeling most human emotions. Two, dude makes killer coffee. Three, he is actually a lot nicer than his customer service skills would lead you to believe. Aaannnddd four, both his dads are really intimidating but Antok is really funny. Kolivan is nice when he is not also doing The Scowl. I swear they should patent that.”

 

“I’ll be ready.” She laughs, it's so easy to do around him, and exits the car. Lucinda gives an ominous creak when they shut the doors that makes Lance coo over the car for a moment before he’s offering her his arm, trying for gentlemanly, and then they’re walking towards the door.

 

The coffee shop is ran out of an old, corner store that is literally on the corner. The two walls that make up the front are made entirely out of glass and each one has the shop’s name hand painted on it. The stylized, purple and grey calligraphy is definitely eye catching, it reads: “Beans of Marmora” and slightly smaller and in red: “Est. 1991”. Outside the door sits a chalkboard with the ‘Daily Specials’ on one side and on the other is (what Lance informs her) one of the shop’s slogans, ‘You are not meant to go through that door’. Lance laughs at the slogan, and approaches the glass door that is the entrance. A bell announces their entrance and there are three people working the counter. All are tall, but two are broad shouldered while the third is slim. She has a feeling that none of these are the infamous ‘Keith’.

 

Lance just smiles at them all, taking everything in stride. “Good morning, guys! Hey Thace, how’s Ulaz? I haven’t seen him in forever and Keith’s not said anything about him. Hey Kolivan, Antok!” All three of the men return the smile, even if for some it's a mere quirk of the corner of their mouth.

 

Thace, she guesses, steps forward and already has two cups in hand. “Good morning, Leandro. Ulaz is much better now. Thank you for asking. I’ll let him know that one of his favorite troublemakers was asking about him.”

 

“Lance. Call me Lance. We’ve been doing this for years now, Thace. I dropped the mister, now you can drop the Leandro.” Lance uses his hands to illustrate his frustration at what Allura realizes is a good natured teasing. She lifts a hand to hide her smile and it catches one of the other men’s attention. He smiles back at her, amusement clear on his face. She guesses that he is Antok. “Hey wait! Don’t throw me in with them!”

 

There’s a snort, a slight scuffle of movement, and then a scowling gentleman leans over a little. “Aren’t you going to introduce us to your friend? I thought we instilled better manners in you. Tsk, guess we’ll have to talk to Sofia about it on Wednesday…” He sighs as he leans back. She guesses that he’s Kolivan.

 

She’s only heard of the other boy’s fathers and seeing as to how they fit the very little criteria she has for identifying them….she’s grasping at straws.

 

Lance gasps, loud and overdramatic. “Rude. Don’t be a tattle tail.” He sighs before turning to smile at her. “This is my boss, Allura.” Then while pointing to each one in turn, he goes on. “The one with wolverine hair and the pen is Thace. His husband is Ulaz, he has a mohawk and is currently in medical school. Grumpy Cat Senior over there, who is also a big ol’ gossipy old lady, is Kolivan. His husband is the Joker grin wearing, linebacker sized teddy bear in the corner of there. His name’s Antok.”

 

“Hello everyone. I’m afraid I haven’t heard very much about all of you yet.” She smiles awkwardly.

 

There’s a snort, a short laugh, and a sigh. Kolivan steps forward, mouth open to speak, but Thace beats him to it. “Can’t say the same about you, miss. Leandro here has told pretty much everyone who’s here in the morning about you.”

 

“Oh well….I pray they were all good things?” She fiddles with her fingers in her pockets. Nerves have fallen over her, but she isn’t sure why.

 

Antok laughs and Kolivan steps forward again, this time sending Thace a look to warn him to stay back. Thace merely grins and sets about making the coffees for them. “You have nothing to worry about. Lance speaks very highly of you.”

 

“Of course I would! Allura is awesome!” Lance exclaims from somewhere to her left and when she looks at him, she sees his phone in his hand. He smiles sheepishly at her when she arches her brow at him. When he mouths ‘I’ll tell you later’, she merely nods.

 

It’s all small talk between herself and Kolivan, who’s surprisingly chatty for someone so stoic, and Lance has split his attention between talking at Thace and texting someone on his phone. When she glances at his screen, she finds herself a little lost.

  
  
  


**.**

  
  
  


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**Grumpy Mountain Man**

 

_ Dude!! I thought you worked this morning!! _

_ I brought in Allura to meet you!! _

_ Finally!! _

_ Sorry. I had a last minute class  _

_ thing come up. Literally didn’t _

_ know about it till middle of  _

_ last night. _

_ Just try again another day. _

_ You’re so mean.  _

_ Not even a warning to your oldest _

_ and dearest friend. So rude. _

_ I’m telling Thace on you. _

_ Go for it. Thace tunes you out _

_ the moment you start speaking. _

_ Gotta go. Class. _

_ Good luck. Paint me some  _

_ pretty french girls. ;* _

_ Gross. No. _

  
  
  


They leave the coffee shop in high spirits and with drinks filled with frothy, warm, life giving liquid. Lucinda has patiently been waiting for them in the parking lot, in all her patchwork glory. Lance coos over the car once again before opening Allura’s door for her. He’s got a sunny grin on his face and his phone has disappeared into his pocket. He’s promised her an explanation and she plans on getting that once they begin their drive to their next morning destination.

 

“Are we ready?” Lance asks and at her nod, he laughs. “Sweet. Next stop is the Sky!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder what Lance means....
> 
> Next chapter will be up asap! 
> 
> Thank you to those of you who left kudos and comments!

**Author's Note:**

> The second chapter is in the works as we speak! It'll hopefully be up and ready sometime next week!
> 
> Swing by my tumblr to ask questions, scream about voltron, or just exist in general.
> 
> I'm iridescentpenn on tumblr as well.


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